Hi, this is Wayne again with a topic “Primitive Technology: Iron Bacteria Cement (no fire/water insoluble)”.
Ordinary clay, Making a clay pot, Sun drying (, not firing ), Putting pot into water to prove a point: Ordinary unfired clay, dissolves in water and thus cannot be used for cement. Any structure made from ordinary unfired clay gets destroyed when wet Iron bacteria in creek (. Not clay, ), Slime, mold (, not iron bacteria, but interesting ), Collecting iron bacteria, Pouring water off the top, Putting the bacteria into a large porous pot Bailing water off the top, as the bacteria settles to the bottom, Repeating the process Scooping out the thick iron bacteria. Sludge into other pots, ( note darker color change due to anoxic conditions, ) Decanting water off the top, as the bacteria settle further Putting into one pot Pouring into a trough to dry further Putting onto roof tiles to dry (. Note rust colored surface due to oxidizing conditions ).
The bacteria has dried enough to shape and mold Forming the material into pots (, as with the first experiment, with ordinary clay, ) Sun drying pots, as in the first experiment. Sun, dried pots, Soaking pot in water 24 hours later, and the pot is still intact. Repeating the experiment, with the other pots, Remember that these pots were not fired. The reason they stay intact is due to the cementitious properties of iron bacteria.
Iron bacteria, cement. .